Blue Oaks Center is committed to the preservation of the Baca Barb Horse in three major areas: genetics, conformation and their therapeutic character.
Baca Barb Horse Preservation Program
Equus Survival Trust
"Most people have no idea that so many historic horse, pony and donkey breeds teeter on the brink of extinction. North America has viable, yet struggling breeding populations of over 25 different such breeds. Some are foreign and some are pure American. The Equus Survival Trust is on a mission to help."
"Sheer numbers will not save the integrity of our endangered breeds. It requires sound breeding practices and good stewardship."
- Good Stewardship means cultivating breeders with long term goals and building network relationships with others, thinking beyond their own stock to the national or global benefit of the herd.
- Good Stewardship means developing appropriate markets that are best suited for conserving and promoting endangered equines as they have been, not in choosing markets that glean the most money or fastest sales in the shortest time.
- Good Stewardship means retaining the inner and outer qualities of the breed that make it unique. That means resisting any "improvement" of a breed that would result in the loss of original type or working abilities.
- Good Stewardship means maintaining registry reciprocation with the mother country and/or foreign and domestic stud books; this is crucial to avoid fragmentation in regional and global gene pools.
"We invite you to browse our site and learn about the various breeds. Find out how each is unique, how these breeds are anything but museum pieces, and why they are endangered. Most importantly, learn how you might become involved as an owner, a future breeder, a volunteer or a financial supporter of some of the rarest equines in the world."
Victoria Tollman, Executive Director
Equus Survival Trust
(https://equus-survival-trust.org/)
"Sheer numbers will not save the integrity of our endangered breeds. It requires sound breeding practices and good stewardship."
- Good Stewardship means cultivating breeders with long term goals and building network relationships with others, thinking beyond their own stock to the national or global benefit of the herd.
- Good Stewardship means developing appropriate markets that are best suited for conserving and promoting endangered equines as they have been, not in choosing markets that glean the most money or fastest sales in the shortest time.
- Good Stewardship means retaining the inner and outer qualities of the breed that make it unique. That means resisting any "improvement" of a breed that would result in the loss of original type or working abilities.
- Good Stewardship means maintaining registry reciprocation with the mother country and/or foreign and domestic stud books; this is crucial to avoid fragmentation in regional and global gene pools.
"We invite you to browse our site and learn about the various breeds. Find out how each is unique, how these breeds are anything but museum pieces, and why they are endangered. Most importantly, learn how you might become involved as an owner, a future breeder, a volunteer or a financial supporter of some of the rarest equines in the world."
Victoria Tollman, Executive Director
Equus Survival Trust
(https://equus-survival-trust.org/)
Preserving the Lost Lines of the North African Barbs
No other horse in history has had such an impact on the development of North America as the Spanish Barb. Brought to the New World by Spanish explorers in the 1500’s, they are America’s first horse. Hardy, loyal and intelligent, they carried soldiers and settlers along the Camino Real into what is now New Mexico. Centuries later, a unique herd remained in the region, true to their genetic origins of the Barb horses of North Africa.
Today, there are only 45 breedable horses of the original Baca Barb herd from New Mexico horses left they are perilously close to extinction. Three established preservation programs across the country, Blue Oaks Center in California, The Center for America’s First Horse in Vermont, and Sandhill Center in New Mexico are dedicated to saving these rare genetics by research based breeding, utilizing the horses in therapeutic programs for children, and promoting them in the performance arena to insure their survival for future generations. We welcome you to join us in our efforts of saving America’s First Horse.
The Blue Oaks Center is dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Baca Barb Horse. The combination of great beauty, athletic ability, and historic importance makes this breed a very significant part of the historic heritage of North America.
In 2015 Blue Oaks Center was founded to preserve this rare strain of America’s first horse while utilizing its unique mild character and temperament in Equine Therapy. Blue Oaks Center is proud to announce the arrival of four foals in 2017, three foals in 2018, 3 new foals in 2019, and one foal in 2022, the future for the Baca Barb Horse's survival.
No other horse in history has had such an impact on the development of North America as the Spanish Barb. Brought to the New World by Spanish explorers in the 1500’s, they are America’s first horse. Hardy, loyal and intelligent, they carried soldiers and settlers along the Camino Real into what is now New Mexico. Centuries later, a unique herd remained in the region, true to their genetic origins of the Barb horses of North Africa.
Today, there are only 45 breedable horses of the original Baca Barb herd from New Mexico horses left they are perilously close to extinction. Three established preservation programs across the country, Blue Oaks Center in California, The Center for America’s First Horse in Vermont, and Sandhill Center in New Mexico are dedicated to saving these rare genetics by research based breeding, utilizing the horses in therapeutic programs for children, and promoting them in the performance arena to insure their survival for future generations. We welcome you to join us in our efforts of saving America’s First Horse.
The Blue Oaks Center is dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Baca Barb Horse. The combination of great beauty, athletic ability, and historic importance makes this breed a very significant part of the historic heritage of North America.
In 2015 Blue Oaks Center was founded to preserve this rare strain of America’s first horse while utilizing its unique mild character and temperament in Equine Therapy. Blue Oaks Center is proud to announce the arrival of four foals in 2017, three foals in 2018, 3 new foals in 2019, and one foal in 2022, the future for the Baca Barb Horse's survival.